Starting with the rudiments of the language and its written forms, we shall analyse some sample texts, not just for the excitement of reading words written so many centuries ago, for example by Alfred the Great himself, but also to unlock the beauty of the language in action.

The study day is intended to be a 'taster' for a programme of interactive online Old English study based on Steve's book, First Steps in Old English.

Timetable for the day

10.15 – 11.15: An overview of the Old English Language and how it works.

11.15-11.45: Coffee-break

11.45 – 12.45: Some basics - grammar and vocabulary, syntax.

12.45-13.45: Lunch-break

13.45-14.45: Some texts - modern editions and manuscript originals.

Some Suggestions for Optional Background Reading

Love, M., Learn Old English with Leofwin (Anglo-Saxon Books, 2012)

Mitchell, B., & F.Robinson, A Guide to Old English (Blackwell 1986-2001)

Pollington, S., Wordcraft: a concise dictionary and thesaurus, modern English to Old English (Anglo-Saxon Books 1993)

Pollington, S., First Steps in Old English (Anglo-Saxon Books 2006)

Whitelock, D., Sweet's Anglo-Saxon Reader (Oxford 1967)

About Steve Pollington

Steven has many published titles including works on the Old English language, military culture, healing and herblore, runes and feasting in the ‘meadhall’, as well as a double CD of readings in Old English. He has lectured widely on aspects of Anglo-Saxon culture since 1991, from local history to the details of verse metre, from theories of the origins of the Germanic runes to the handling of Anglo-Saxon weaponry. He has worked on a number of television and radio programmes, and was script advisor to the ground-breaking 1000 AD, in which dramatic dialogue was spoken entirely in Old English and Old Norse. His current project is a French-language two-volume introduction to runes to begin publication this year: Runes: L'Ecriture des Anciens Germains. Tome I: Origines et Développement.

What happens next:

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